Chapter 40: So Much to be Thankful For

November 21, 1990, Chicago, Illinois

“Do we have everything set for the Krajicks?” Kara asked as we sat in the Indian room, waiting on our guests.

“I think so,” I replied. “The spare room upstairs is set up for Harry and Nora, and the guest rooms are set up for Bethany and Ed. Ed will move upstairs after his parents go home. Nicholas is going to sleep in Jesse’s room at Jesse’s request.”

“He really wants to take care of Nicholas, doesn’t he?”

“He certainly does.”

“Is there anything we need to do for tomorrow?” Jessica asked.

“Not really. We finished the shopping last night after karate. It’s just a matter of getting started in the morning and following the plan. Abbie and Jesse offered to help, and so did my sister, so I have plenty of help in the kitchen.”

“I’m SO glad I don’t work tomorrow!” Jessica said. “No elective surgery on Thanksgiving, and I don’t cover the ER. I do have a twelve-hour ER shift on Friday that I’m taking for Alicia because my surgical team is off on Friday as well.”

“You can’t really trade with her, can you?” I asked.

“No. It’s a favor for her. She can pay it back if she gets offered an Attending position next year. If she doesn’t, I’ll just chalk it up as a favor. The extra ER shift doesn’t hurt.”

“What time is the shift?” I asked.

“Noon to midnight,” Jessica said. “That’ll give you some time to spend with Bethany and Nicholas, if Kara agrees.”

“I do,” Kara said. “I suspect Jesse, Matthew, and Birgit will keep Nicholas entertained.”

Just then, I heard the front door open, and Bethany called out, ‘Hello’. I was happy that she remembered the ‘open door’ policy and just opened the door and came into the house. The three of us got up and went to the door to greet our guests.

“Hi, Sweetheart!” I said, giving Bethany a tight hug.

“Hi, Steve!” she replied, then hugged both Jessica and Kara.

“Hi, Nicholas!” I said, taking him from Nora.

“Unca’ Steve!” he said.

“We’ve been working on that for the last few days,” Bethany whispered. “He’s just starting to really talk, unlike Jesse, who was talking like an adult by age one!”

“None of my other kids were like that,” I said. “I think Jesse being an only kid in a house with all these adults had a huge impact. Birgit is probably the closest.”

“Is your sister here?” Ed asked after we shook hands.

“She’s in the coach house with Jennifer and Josie,” I said. “Go on back. Harry, Nora, welcome! We have you in the spare room upstairs. Bethany, do you want to take Nicholas to the coach house? I think Jesse is waiting up.”

“Let me have him,” she said.

I handed him to her and then walked her parents upstairs while she and Ed walked towards the back of the house so they could go to the coach house.

“There’s a private bathroom,” I said, pointing to the door. “We’re usually up pretty early, though I suspect Jessica will sleep in tomorrow. Breakfast will be around 8:00am.”

“Thanks,” Harry said.

“Will your wives need help in the kitchen tomorrow?” Nora asked.

I chuckled, “I’m the cook! I really enjoy cooking. I’ll have help from Abbie, Jesse, and my sister.”

“Jesse?” Nora asked.

I nodded, “He wants to learn to cook. He helps Abbie and me with dinner most days.”

“She’s your nanny, right?” Nora asked.

“Yes, our second one,” I answered. “Veronica, our first one, decided to get married. I’ll leave you to get to bed.”

“Good night,” Harry said. “And thanks again for everything you’re doing to help Bethany.”

“You’re welcome,” I replied. “Good night.”

I headed back downstairs to my wives. Bethany came back from the coach house about ten minutes later, and she asked if we could use the sauna. My wives agreed, and about ten minutes after that, the four of us were relaxing as the steam began wafting up from the heated stones.

“How are you doing?” I asked Bethany.

“OK, I guess,” she sighed. “I miss Nick something fierce, but life has to go on. I have Nicholas, and my parents, my work, and you as my best friend.”

“Do you have a full client load?” Jessica asked.

“I’m getting there. I’m developing my practice, focusing on victims of sexual abuse. Doctor Mercer has been a huge help.”

“How long will you live with your parents?” Kara asked.

“Probably another year. It’s more about not wanting to be alone than anything else. I joked with Steve that I’d buy his parents’ old place on Overlook Drive, but I can’t imagine needing a house that big for just Nicholas and me. Though the indoor pool would be very nice!”

“That is the one thing I miss from living at home,” I said. “I’d much rather swim than run.”

“Will you buy a house, Bethany?” Jessica asked.

“Probably,” Bethany replied. “With what we had saved, what we invested with Steve’s help, what I received from the military, and my income, I won’t have a problem buying a small ranch-style house for Nicholas and me. There are plenty of those in Milford.”

“By the way, was Jesse still up?” I asked.

“What do you think?” Bethany laughed.

“That tying him to his bed wouldn’t have helped!” I chuckled.

“Jennifer and I got the boys right to bed. Jesse wanted to talk to Nicholas, but we managed to get him to agree to wait until tomorrow morning. But I bet Jesse was placating us and started talking to Nicholas as soon as Jennifer and I went downstairs!”

“He’s really concerned about Nicholas,” Kara said.

“I know,” Bethany replied. “That letter said it all.”

There was a knock on the door, and my sister stuck her head in.

“How long will you be?” she asked.

“Probably fifteen minutes. You and Ed want to come in?”

“Yes, but we can wait until Bethany is done.”

“Right,” I said. “Just give us fifteen minutes, and it’s all yours. Just be sure to shut it down and turn on the exhaust fan when you’re done.”

“Will do, Big Brother. Thanks.”

She shut the door.

“Sorry,” Bethany said.

“About what? Just because my sister and I are OK with being naked together doesn’t mean you and Ed would be. Don’t worry about it. That’s why Stephanie asked. It’s all good.”

About fifteen minutes later, we put on robes and left the sauna. Stephanie and Ed went in, and the rest of us went to shower and head to bed, my wives and I upstairs, and Bethany in the basement.

“She seems to be doing OK,” Kara said. “How do you think she’ll handle December 19?”

“Badly,” I said. “Kathy will be going down to Ohio. The last day of classes at her school is the 18th. So Bethany won’t be alone.”

“What about you, Tiger?” Jessica asked.

“I talked to Kathy about it, and we agreed that Kathy’s the right person for that day. You know how emotional Bethany is likely to be, and as strong as my willpower is, neither of us thinks it’s a wise risk to take.”

“I’m glad to see you taking advice from the people closest to you. Is Kurt going with Kathy?”

“No, just Kathy. She’s going to leave Kristin with Abbie, given how long the drive down and back would be for a little kid in a car seat. She’ll go down after school on the 18th and come back on the morning of the 20th.”

“Shall we work on my baby?” Jessica asked with a coy smile.

“I think we can do that!” I grinned, pulling her towards me.

Thanksgiving Day, 1990, Chicago, Illinois

“You are REALLY organized,” Abbie said. “A complete list of everything that needs to be done, with the times things need to go in the oven or on the stove, cooking times, and so on.”

“With you, Jesse, and Stephanie helping, I need to be able to keep everything straight. It’s different if you do it all yourself.”

“This is a LOT of work for one person!”

“True, but there is only one real challenge, and that’s having everything ready at the same time and getting it on the table. Having two ovens, plus a six-burner stove, makes it MUCH easier. Doing things that really need different temperatures in a single oven is really tricky, but you can adjust things.”

“So the first thing on the list is making pumpkin, apple, and pecan pies?”

“Yes, to get them done and out of the oven. That’s why we start at 6:00am! The Turkey will take about five hours, maybe a bit more, and then it has to sit for about fifteen minutes after we take it out of the oven. So we just work backwards from there to start everything.”

“What do you need me to do?”

“Well, for these, I kind of cheat for the apple and pumpkin pies by using pre-made filling that I bought at a bakery. The pecan pie we do from scratch. If you put together the apple and pumpkin pies, I’ll make the pecan filling.”

“What about Jesse?” she asked. “Won’t he be upset that we started without him?”

“I think he’ll spend time with Nicholas and come help us when Nicholas is napping. Stephanie said she’d be here by 7:00am.”

“She didn’t stay with Ed last night?”

“No. I’m not sure why, but I don’t think there’s a problem.”

We got to work on the pies, and just as we were putting them in the oven, my sister came into the kitchen.

“I’m going to say ‘good morning’ to Ed, then I’ll be back to help.”

I acknowledged her in passing as Abbie, and I started working on the salad and the homemade stuffing for the turkey. Jesse and Nicholas came into the kitchen, followed by Jennifer and Josie.

“The boys decided to eat breakfast here,” Jennifer said. “Will we be in the way?”

“Not at all! What do they want?”

“Waffles, please!” Jesse said.

“Sounds good to me!” Jennifer agreed.

“Abbie, just keep working on the salad. I’ll make breakfast for the kids. Well, for everyone, I guess; everyone will be stirring soon.”

Abbie continued with what she was doing, and I made waffles, bacon, and eggs for breakfast, making enough for everyone and keeping it all warm in a tabletop roaster that I’d purchased for exactly that purpose.

“What are you going to do today, Jesse?” I asked.

“Play with Nicholas. I can help cook for Christmas.”

“That’s a good plan,” I said. “You can always help when Nicholas takes his nap.”

“OK!” he said.

The rest of the family and our guests filtered in over the next ninety minutes, and I fed them, as well as continued prep work for the Thanksgiving feast. The house was filled with the aroma of freshly baked pies, though that would soon be replaced by the smell of roasting turkey. When everyone was finished eating, Stephanie and Ed offered to wash dishes, which was very helpful given we had both breakfast dishes and everything Abbie and I had used so far.

“Anything I can do to help?” Bethany asked.

“Just relax, Sweetheart. We have it under control!”

“Thanks. I’ll go hang out with the kids and their moms.”

Abbie and I kept working, taking a break occasionally to drink some tea and talk with everyone in the sunroom. Finally, at about noon, there was a two-hour gap in our prep schedule.

“How about a sauna?” Abbie asked with an impish smile. “Just you and me?”

It had been a long time since Abbie and I had been in the sauna alone together, and because Jessica was trying to get pregnant, Abbie wasn’t getting much attention from me. If my wives were cool with Abbie’s request, I’d happily fulfill it.

“Clear that with Jess and Kara, and you’re on!” I chuckled.

She left the kitchen while I double-checked my list and crossed off the things that were done. She was back a minute or so later, looking subdued.

“What?” I asked.

“I, uh, kind of forgot that Bethany’s parents were here.”

I laughed, “And Nora was offended when you asked Jess if you could take me to the sauna and fuck me silly?”

Abbie nodded, “Yeah. Sorry.”

“Forget about it. Nora hasn’t been happy about my lifestyle since my wedding to Jess and Kara. And she had a real conniption fit over me sleeping in the same bed with Bethany when I visited with her after Nick’s death.”

“But you guys aren’t screwing!”

“No, we aren’t. But her mom became very protective and very conservative after Bethany had her accident. And when Bethany broke up with me, her mom just about lost it. Nick’s death only made the whole thing worse because, at that point, Bethany didn’t have either of us.”

“I suppose I can see that. I am sorry.”

“Forget about it. We don’t hide what goes on in this house. Still want to take that sauna?”

“Yes!” she smirked.

We went down to the basement, and I set the controls. We got undressed, I hung up the ‘Privacy Please’ sign, and we went in. Once the rocks were hot, I poured water over them with the ladle, then sat back down next to Abbie. She quickly moved to my lap and kissed me fiercely. Less than a minute later, she straddled me and slowly lowered herself onto me, engulfing me in her warm, wet folds.

We had a slow, sensual screw for the next fifteen minutes until Abbie lifted off and moved next to me. She turned and bent over the bench so that I could take her from behind, pounding her hard until we both had explosive orgasms. That was Abbie’s favorite way to end things, though I much preferred being able to look into her eyes. When I began to deflate, I pulled out, and we moved to the whirlpool to soak in warm water and cuddle.

“I wish we had more time,” she sighed.

“Once Jess is pregnant, you’ll have me every Sunday,” I said. “And I know you have, well, other opportunities.”

Abbie laughed, “Yes, but that’s just pure fucking. It’s different with you.”

“An interesting statement from a girl who said that sex was all about physical pleasure.”

“And do you see any black makeup on me?” she asked.

“No, I don’t. Are you moving completely away from your ‘goth’ philosophy?”

“I have no idea. Maybe. You and your family have given me a lot to think about and shown me a very different world than the one I knew back in Albany.”

“Are you happy?” I asked.

“Very!” she affirmed. “I’ve told you that. You don’t have to keep asking!”

“I just want to make sure that we’re not pushing you someplace you don’t want to go.”

“You aren’t. I’m completely free! Well, I mean, I have responsibilities, but mostly, I can do as I please, and nobody condemns me or marginalizes me or anything. I have fun at the club on Friday nights, you don’t complain if I have other guys, and you make me cum, hard!”